The Physical Allergy That Made Him Feel Awesome – David

About This Speaker Tape

A basement in Alaska became a fortress of fear for David D. who spent years trapped in a cycle of institutionalization Oxycontin and a pistol he didn't have ammo for. He describes the 'lethal combination' of a physical allergy and a mental obsession that left him unable to even buy clothes in public.

The turning point arrived via a rough-edged sponsor named Runar R. from Iceland who took him fishing in Bristol Bay and taught him that 'no bitching no whining' was the path to a spiritual life. David D. details the grueling process of cleaning house—from paying back $8,000 in rubber checks to exchanging 9th Step amends with his father

. Now a certified volunteer at the youth center where he was once locked up he views his recovery as a 'sufficient substitute' for the chemical relief he once craved.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Early drinking at 14 and the first encounter with the law.
• 4:10 The 'jumping-off place': contemplating suicide with a gun and no ammo.
• 6:30 First meeting experience: crying while others 'bullshitted' their way through.
• 8:15 Meeting Runar R. in a dark room at the Alano club; laughter and friction.
• 12:40 The struggle with the Fourth Step and the need to 'clean house'.
• 15:20 Financial amends: the box of rubber checks and the $8,000 debt.
• 17:10 Exchanging 9th Step amends with his father.
• 21:30 The transition from inmate to certified volunteer at the youth center.
• 25:10 Discussion on the 'sufficient substitute' and the original manuscript.
• 28:45 Reflections on the loneliness of the alcoholic and the role of the home group.